Argentina soy prices hold steady on solid demand

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina's closing soy prices and trends on Thursday:

* Soy prices in Rosario closed at between 1,440 pesos and 1,450 pesos per tonne ($329 to $331 per tonne), compared with 1,446 pesos in the previous session as strong local demand canceled out the influence of losses in the Chicago market, traders said.

* Trade volume was light at about 7,000 tonnes.

* Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures fell 1 percent on Thursday, as positioning ahead of the release on Friday of the US Agriculture Department's March plantings and quarterly stocks reports dominated trading.

* In Rosario, soybeans for May delivery, priced in US dollars, ended at $325 per tonne compared with $328 per tonne on Wednesday.

* In the southern grains port of Bahia Blanca, soy fell 20 pesos to 1,380 pesos per tonne.

* Argentina's 2011/12 soy output was estimated at 45 million tonnes, down from a previous forecast of 46.2 million tonnes, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said, citing drought-related losses in the northern growing areas.

Following is a list of grains and oilseed prices in Argentina's main ports. Values from the previous session are in parentheses. All figures listed are in pesos per tonne.